How to Go Green: Work from Home
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York 
on 01.13.09
Photo credit: Graham Hill
Working from home sounds like a sweet deal: trade work clothes for sweats, skip rainy and crowded commutes, and set a schedule that fits you best—whether you’re an early bird or a night owl. And while there are some obvious environmental pluses to giving up commutes, take-out lunches, and weekly printer paper deliveries, setting up a home office comes with its own opportunities to cut back on energy use, trim waste production, and condense your carbon footprint.
Planet Green’s How to Go Green: Working from Home guide gives you all the information you need to green your daily grind, from where to look for comfortable chairs made from recycled materials to how to arrange your workspace for maximum productivity. Click below to read the whole guide, and find a few quick suggestions after the fold.
Photo credit: Leonora Oppenheim
Find a job.
First, talk to your boss about ways you can change your schedule or responsibilities so that you could do more of your work from home—even cutting your commute just two days a week can make a huge difference in your carbon output. Not sure what to say? Try these conversation starters. If your boss won’t be convinced, then it might be time to look for a new job—preferably a green one—or consider starting your own business.Get a desk.
You’re about to start spending a whole lot of your time at this desk, so find one that fits your work style—whether you’re looking for lots of storage, minimalist design, or a modular unit. There are plenty of eco-friendly alternatives; look for models that use sustainable wood or recycled metal with non-toxic finishes. Even better? Buy vintage for a one-of-a-kind workspace.Stay in touch.
No home office is complete without a computer, but pay attention to your needs before you buy the fanciest kind; if you’re just using it for word documents and internet research, you can likely make do without all the bells and whistles. Look into buying a used or refurbished one to save money and energy—or if you are buying new, look for a system that’s either Energy Star certified (meaning it uses less electricity) or EPEAT certified (meaning it was made without hazardous materials and processes). Either way, do consider splurging on a larger monitor: It’s better for your eyes.These tips are just the beginning. For more advice, tricks, and information about setting out on a green home business path, check out the How to Go Green: Working from Home guide on Planet Green.
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Proponents fail to mention that working from home could actually be worse for the environment. If working from home means you are now running heat or A/C during the day where as they are usual set on low during your office time, your impact could increase as places of work often times use energy much more efficiently. If you want to avoid a lengthy commute, live close to work.
dwall - extra energy use at home is more than offset by the energy you aren't using burning gas to get to work and theoretically by the energy you aren't using at work because you aren't there.
@36.6 kWh per gallon of gas, if I didn't drive my Prius the 66 miles round-trip I currently drive I'd save over 53 kW per day (100+ kW for your average commuter car). My house in total only uses 30 kW per day year-round. Even if my useage doubled, the 30 kW difference is still far less than the gas I'm saving.
If you're already walking or biking to work, duplicating the infrastructure you use at work in your own home seems wasteful to me. If you're not already walking or biking to work, maybe that's the place to start. While you're at it you can pack your organic and local flexitarian lunch up in a togoware container and resolve to use less paper.
Since working at home half time my power bill has gone up about 30%, my car fuel is half. The cost works out to about equal for me although the places that employee me still maintain the same amount of office space. I think in my case it makes no difference, my job requires physical labor and face to face communication (can’t be outsourced) so the “office space” required for me can not be eliminated.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of home-based work is that it encourages local living. "Bedroom communities" (aka ghost towns) can become real communities.
If my dh telecommuted from home we would be divorced within 2 months. One we don't have the room to spare so we would always be in each other hair and the second is. If I saw him have any down time I would expect him to do stuff around the house. So him working from home is not an option for us.
Zig
I've been working from home for years. 3 of my bookshelves are hand-me downs. My beautiful desk is a hand-me-down. I paperbackswap. I freecycle. My magazine racks are hand me downs. My printing paper is recycled. I have a shredder to shred paper and I recycle it. I only print when I really need to... I could go on. I'm not all green yet but I'm working on it.
Great! I am working from home> i do blogging and marketing. I have flexible schedule and I have more time with my kids.
I'm not sure where to start, but I think a few people might be missing the point here. Work at home is not just electricity savings - it is a TON more than that.
With Electricity - you are not at work, as are some co-workers, therefore you do not use the electricity. Not only A/C, but also the community kitchen, the bathroom (which has tons of high powered lights in some offices), common areas, huge photocopiers that stay on all day (when it is only used very lightly most the time). When you go to work, you are using electricity for two buildings - you keep your a/c and heat on at home, and use also electricity in the building you are in at the time.
Reducing office space saves trees, land, etc. If employers get on the ball with this, they can reduce their office space which saves them ton in rent, upkeep, etc.
Forcing people to be responsible - when at home you do pay a little more. Normally, you are used to the employer paying all the electricity, office supplies, etc, and now you are. If you are given a small amount for an office supply budget, you are less likely to waste. If the employee works 5 days per week, this adds up to 400 lbs of waste per year at an office (this comes straight from the office of the Federal Environmental Executive). The waste is reduced when people are held accountable for their own supplies.
There are so many things I would love to put in here, but I think you get the idea. If employers get on the ball with a Work at Home attitude, they are helping save our Earth and they are saving themselves a LARGE amount of cash each year.